Pszczółkowska, Dominika

3 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.

Gazeta Wyborcza - Poland | 15/05/2009

Big states unfairly priveleged at the Eurovision Song Contest

Dominika Pszczółkowska complains in the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza that the big countries of the EU are at an advantage at the Eurovision Song Contest over smaller countries because they put more money up front. This is just like in EU politics, Pszczółkowska comments: "The Eurovision Song Contest is strongly reminiscent of European politics. There are the older contestants, the competition veterans, and the newcomers who undermine the former hierarchy. And the large countries have special rights - just like in the EU. Only here the Belgians belong among the newcomers. For them Eurovision provides a rare opportunity to present their stars to an international public, unlike for the Brits and the French with their huge music industries. ... There are nevertheless special rules for big players. In the EU these are unwritten principles. At Eurovision it has simply been decided that the contestants from France, Germany, Spain and the UK, which pay the most for the competition, don't have to take part in the semi-finals and are automatically assured a place in the finals."

Sarkozy understands the new EU member states

The Gazeta Wyborcza has glowing words for Sarkozy's EU Council presidency: "In the half year of his term Sarkozy showed how much the community lacks strong leadership, and how much can be accomplished with it. ... When he said farewell to the European Parliament on Tuesday there was no shortage of criticism. Nevertheless the word 'success' was on everyone's lips - on the Right and on the Left. The French president's greatest success was the compromise over the climate package at a time when most leading politicians were thinking about saving their own economies and not the planet as a whole. ... Sarkozy also chalked up points in Warsaw. He is open to the concerns of the new EU member states, a remarkable thing in itself. He is the first governing French politician since the enlargement to have understood that the 'new' states are an important part of the community, and are not just children who should be seen but not heard."

The first joint solution

Dominika Pszczólkowska comments on the Returns Directive: "Yesterday's decision by the European Parliament means that for the first time, the countries of the European Union have common regulations for dealing with and deporting immigrants. Western European countries like France and the Netherlands, which are the immigrants' most frequent destinations, have sought such a solution for some time now. The lack of common guidelines had caused immigrants to travel to those destinations with the most advantageous policies. ... Nevertheless, human rights organisations have condemned yesterday's decision as scandalous, arguing that the new regulations will cause new arrivals to be treated less humanely throughout the EU."